Washington, United States. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets across the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, in one of the biggest exchanges since the two countries agreed a ceasefire in April.
Iranian strikes across the region
Iran said its strikes included attacks in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after the US military said it had targeted Iranian air defence systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre. They said they were prepared to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further US attack.
Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran, with debris falling on Jordanian territory but causing no injuries or material damage.
In Kuwait, the army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets after the Guards said they had struck the Ali Al Salem base with drones. In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry sounded a public warning siren, while a media adviser to the king said air defences had repelled the Iranian attacks.
US response and initial assessments
US military action lasted around four hours and targeted Iranian positions near Hormuz, according to a US official, who said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted, with no immediate reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US facilities. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the battlefield reports, and the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump told ABC News: “I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is.”
Oil prices rose about 1% in early Asian trading after the escalation.
Strikes reported near Hormuz
Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik were attacked, with explosions heard in Bandar Abbas and later near Jask, near the entrance to the strait.
The US military said its strikes were carried out in response to what Trump said was the downing of a US Apache helicopter on Tuesday.
Helicopter incident and competing accounts
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the escalation was triggered by the downing of a US Apache helicopter by an Iranian one-way attack drone on Tuesday.
The official said the two pilots were rescued by a US Navy surface drone after the helicopter went down in waters near Oman’s coast at around 0300 local time. Trump said the pilots were uninjured, while US Central Command described them as in stable condition.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal the helicopter incident “wasn’t a big deal” and said “the pilot is fine.”
Iran’s state media cited a military source as saying no offensive air operations had been conducted in the strait in the previous 24 hours. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not directly address the incident but wrote on X that foreign forces in the region risked being caught up in “accidents or crossfire,” adding: “To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave.”
Ceasefire under renewed strain
The latest exchange has raised further uncertainty over efforts to reach an agreement to end the war that began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Trump has repeatedly said Washington and Tehran are close to an agreement, but there have been few signs of progress since the ceasefire took effect in April.
